Transform Your Internet Leads into Clients, Part 2: Make a Transformation

Have you ever noticed those handwritten signs offering to buy your house with cash if you call the number? I research the seller of a $10 DVD before I feel comfortable buying it online, and I doubt I'm the only one who wants the reassurance of positive feedback before buying a product. In the case of a huge financial transaction like buying or selling a home, this is even more true. In fact, Google conducted a study in 2014 that found that 66% of buyers are extensively researching prospective agents online before reaching out to them.

Moral of the story? If you want a potential client to feel comfortable reaching out to you, it's essential to build trust before they submit a lead form. Boost your internet conversions by making sure online buyers and sellers aren't passing you by. You can do this by creating a foundation of trust and developing a community of help.

Weave a Foundation of Trust

We all want to do business with people we know, like, and trust. That's why creating a trustworthy online brand is so crucial when transforming internet leads into clients. To make sure your brand is beyond reproach, create a consistent brand image, build credibility, and share reviews written by people who have worked with you in the past.

This may seem obvious, but it really is important to present a consistent brand image by using the same color-scheme, fonts, logo, and agent photo on your website, social networks, ads, emails, etc. It's also important to make sure your photo is recent; it hurts your credibility if your lead can't recognize you as the person they saw online.

Once you have a consistent brand presence, start building your brand's credibility by aligning yourself with other successful businesses. For example, when someone hasn't heard of Curaytor, Chris Smith, author of The Conversion Code, shares how Curaytor spends over three million dollars each year on Facebook ads for real estate agents. Tying his business in with a credible brand like Facebook allows him to borrow some of the trust Facebook already has.

However, you don't have to spend a fortune on Facebook ads to align yourself with trustworthy brands. Start by building mutually beneficial partnerships with successful local businesses. Research which businesses in your area have great reputations and reach out to discuss how you can help each other. Mentioning each other in marketing materials, sharing each other's social posts, and offering discounts for clients recommended by each other are just a few of the ways you can partner with trusted local businesses so that when a new lead starts "extensively researching" you online, your brand will show up in a positive light.

A lot of prospects will also look at your online reviews before actually reaching out for help buying or selling a home. They will want to know if previous clients were happy with you, your business, and their experience with both. Collect and share the best reviews on your social sites and carefully address any negative reviews you have on their original thread so that anyone who discovers them can get both sides of the story.

Develop a Community

Once you have a strong online presence showing prospects why they should reach out to you, work on reaching a wider audience. For this, social media can be your best friend. Use Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and your other social sites to distribute content that will attract new leads and prospects.

Remember that social media is supposed to be "social" and an open line of communication between you and your audience. Reply to social commenters, ask questions, host contests, and take polls to encourage potential leads to interact with you. Use the poll results to create "Top ___ as Voted by You" lists. This will build your reputation as a local expert and help strengthen your brand.

It's also important to make sure users can easily navigate between your website and your various social channels. Let them connect with you on their terms. Some people will be more comfortable reaching out to you in a Facebook chat rather than through a website lead form, so you need to have both available.

Another thing to keep in mind: you don't need to drop off the map just because a client's transaction is complete. Keep in touch with possible referral sources, keeping your brand top of mind for future transactions by keeping your clients engaged after the sale.

Building your brand online is just one way to boost your internet conversion rate. Check out part 1 of the series, Transform Your Internet Leads Into Clients: Create a Connection then check back for part 3, which will cover how proving your value can help you to convert internet leads into clients.

To view the original article, visit the Homes.com blog.